Thursday, February 10, 2005
seeing the forest for the trees
I'm tired of the emphasis on the darker, less savory side of humanity. In my field (Social Psychology), in the media, in the news, all you hear about is conflict and abuse. That isn't all there is; it just isn't. People hold doors for each other, smile at each other, and mourn the death of strangers when they die. I don't believe this is some gravy friendliness that you only get when times are smooth. Some guy on Oprah the other week reported watching strangers struggle to save each other during the tsunami. Mankind: man is kind. Whatever else he may be, I have to believe that he is also kind.
In addition to the rant above, I also can't give up the dream that there is some pure aspect to science that is untouched by politics and interpersonal interactions. Somewhere out there is fact and if we as a science can get over our own ego's we might be able to get a glimpse of it.
I'm pretty sure the other graduate students in my office think I'm naive because I say things like this. I thing they're naive because they actually think they're going to change things. I don't need to change the world, just recognize it and understand it when I do.
***Update: I have since discovered that I am not the only one who feels this way. There is a new movement of Positive Psychologist who are working to develop theories related to the positive elements of behavior and psychology. For a start, Ed Diener has a great list here: http://s.psych.uiuc.edu/~ediener/related_websites.htm.
In addition to the rant above, I also can't give up the dream that there is some pure aspect to science that is untouched by politics and interpersonal interactions. Somewhere out there is fact and if we as a science can get over our own ego's we might be able to get a glimpse of it.
I'm pretty sure the other graduate students in my office think I'm naive because I say things like this. I thing they're naive because they actually think they're going to change things. I don't need to change the world, just recognize it and understand it when I do.
***Update: I have since discovered that I am not the only one who feels this way. There is a new movement of Positive Psychologist who are working to develop theories related to the positive elements of behavior and psychology. For a start, Ed Diener has a great list here: http://s.psych.uiuc.edu/~ediener/related_websites.htm.
# posted by vanessa from salt lake @ 1:27 PM 
Comments:
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But you can change the world. If you do something for one person that changes them in any way (postively, one would hope), you've just changed one-six-billionth of the world. Not a small feat, either, to change one person.
It's the ripple effect after that...
It's the ripple effect after that...
It is wonderful to encounter someone else who thinks as I do. There are aweful events in the world, and sometimes people do terrible things, but those events, and those actions, do not characterize people. People are fundamentally good. They just get caught up in situations too great for them to handle, and then they react defensively. Don't stop believing in possibilities. It's the first step to making that big, world-changing move. Your post has inspired me to do something I have been dancing around for weeks. When I log off, I'm going to go change someone's life. Wish me luck.
yes... deliberate highlight of the darker side to grasp attention is a common mode of conduct in media.
and often, there are elements of reality which are not expressed, because "they're reality and everyone knows."
also, there's hypocrisy, prejudice... watever!
and good luck to you, friend, for being yourself!
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and often, there are elements of reality which are not expressed, because "they're reality and everyone knows."
also, there's hypocrisy, prejudice... watever!
and good luck to you, friend, for being yourself!
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